The present invention relates to a fluid dispenser device, and more particularly to such device operating with a pump having no air intake.
It is well known, particularly in the fields of pharmacy, cosmetics, or perfumery, to make fluid dispenser devices comprising a tank containing the fluid, in general a liquid, and a pump, said pump being fixed on said tank by means of a turret and/or a fixing ring. Generally, to avoid contaminating the fluid contained in the tank, the pump operates without intake of air, but under such circumstances there is the problem of suction being created inside the tank.
To resolve this problem, proposals have been made in particular to allow air to pass between the outside of the device and the tank, with a filter being interposed to filter any contaminating agents, and in particular bacteria. Devices of that type are described in particular in documents EP-0 189 549 and EP-0 800 869. The main drawback of that type of device is that it requires a filter to be manufactured and installed between said tank and the opening to the atmosphere, and that considerably complicates manufacture and assembly of the device with harmful consequences for the final cost. In addition, that type of system is not always easy to adapt to commonly-used standard pumps.
Documents US-5 752 629, US-5 431 310, and WO 98/48943 also disclose filter elements assembled at vent holes.
Another solution is proposed in document EP-0 771 734. In that document, it is proposed to make all or part of the tank containing the fluid out of a material that is permeable to air. The main drawback of that device is that it requires a special tank to be manufactured with appropriate materials, thereby considerably increasing the cost of said tank, and above all it does not enable tanks of any type to be used or tanks made of any material, in particular those that are in widespread use at present.
An object of the present invention is to provide a fluid dispenser device which does not reproduce the drawbacks mentioned above.
An object of the present invention is thus to provide a fluid dispenser device that operates using a pump without air intake, known as an xe2x80x9cairlessxe2x80x9d pump, said device enabling the suction inside the tank to be balanced without contaminating the fluid remaining in the tank and without complicating manufacture and assembly of the device, and consequently without making it more costly.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a fluid dispenser device which operates effectively with any type of tank, of any shape or material.
Another object of the invention is to provide such a fluid dispenser device which prevents the fluid contained in the tank from being spoilt while guaranteeing that it is properly dispensed on each actuation.
The present invention thus provides a fluid dispenser device comprising a fluid tank, a dispenser member such as a pump operating without air intake, a turret supporting and fixing said pump, said turret being fixed on said tank by a fixing ring, at least a portion of said turret being made of a plastics material that is permeable to air.
In a particular embodiment of the invention, said turret is made integrally with said fixing ring.
Preferably, the air-permeable plastics material allows air to pass to the inside of the tank but prevents the passage of bacteria.
Advantageously, the air-permeable plastics material comprises thermoplastic polymers.
Preferably, the air-permeable plastics material includes a filler.
Advantageously, the filler is chalk, talc, or silicone. dr
In an advantageous embodiment, said turret has a window of air-permeable plastics material, said window being overmolded in said turret which is made of a material that is not permeable. Other characteristics and advantages appear from the following detailed description given by way of non-limiting example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view showing a first embodiment of a turret of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing a second embodiment of a turret of the present invention; and
FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing a third embodiment of a turret of the present invention.